Amid ongoing internal wranglings within the Labour Party (LP), the party’s National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, has declared that the 2027 presidential ticket is open and not automatically reserved for any individual—including Peter Obi.
Speaking in an interview with Trust TV, Ibrahim expressed dissatisfaction with Obi’s growing association with leaders of the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC). He warned that such political flirtations could cost Obi his chance to contest under the LP in 2027.
“The seat of that candidacy is not reserved for anybody. It is open for a competitive contest,” Ibrahim stated. “Datti is qualified to contest for the presidency as good as Peter Obi.”
He reiterated that the party’s 2023 Vice Presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, would be given a fair opportunity if he decides to run. Ibrahim maintained that aspirants must commit fully to the party and not have “one leg in Labour Party and the other elsewhere.”
“If Datti is willing to aspire for presidency and he wants to do that under the Labour Party, we will open it. Come and buy the form, mobilise support and get elected,” he added.
The LP scribe also issued a veiled warning to Obi, suggesting that continued ties with other political parties, such as the ADC, may lead to disqualification.
This development follows Baba-Ahmed’s recent remarks reaffirming his support for Obi but also expressing readiness to step in if the former Anambra State governor decides not to run in 2027.
Despite speculations, Datti has maintained that the presidency is not a desperate ambition for him, while still advocating for Obi to be given another opportunity on the Labour Party’s platform.
